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process of " reasoning" it refuses to
worship God
His way!
That is why such people have
never really understood the great
purpose being worked out here be–
low and why God has always
seemed so far away to them - so
unreal.
What About You?
Be honest with yourself. Have
you, personally, gone through a
really heartrending repentance as
the first step toward conversion?
Have you continually changed and
grown in spiritual understanding,
knowledge and character ever since?
Never forget that prior to real
conversion
is
real repentance. You
must humble yourself - quit being
self-willed - so that you sincerely
repent, as David did in Psalm
51 -
one of the best examples of repen–
tance in all the Bible. "Wash me
thoroughly from my iniquity, and
cleanse me from my sin [RSV],"
David cried. "For I acknowledge my
transgressions: and my sin is ever
before me."
Notice tbat David d id not try to
justify himself. Rather, he acknowl–
edged bis sin freely and asked for–
giveness.
He continued: "Against thee, thee
only, have I sinncd, and done this
evil in thy sight."
Ood didn't have to argue, brow–
beat, or "reason" David into admit–
ting that his sin was against God
when he committed adultery with
Bathsheba and murdered Uriah.
David was willing to see his sin and
to bitterly repent of and acknowl–
edge what be had done. He really
carne to abhor himself.
Notice: "Behold, l was shapen in
iniquity; and in sin did my mother
conceive me" (verse 5). David was
not talking about the act of concep–
tion being a sin but the fact that he
had always been, so to speak, a
"thing" of sin - literally filled with
lustful , vain, and sinful human na–
lure. David carne 10 repenl not only
24
of what he had done - but of whal
he was!
Have you?
Have you been led by God to see
thal your very nalure is wrong?
Have you come 10 sincerely want
LO
get rid of your own rotten, selfish,
carnal, human nature? Are you
ready to repent not only ofwhat you
have done, but also ofwhat you are?
King D avid knew that this was
whal God required. He said, "The
sacrifices of God are a broken spiril:
a broken and con1rite heart , O God,
thou wilt not despise " ( Psalm
51: 17).
Before anyone - and this
does mean anyone - is really and
truly converted, he has to be hum–
bled, often beaten down through
circumstances, and made to realize
bis own NOTHINGNESS. He has to be–
gin a life-long process of abhorring
himself, acknowledging his sins to
God and repenting of them - turn–
ing around in his heart, mind and
will and determining to go the other
way.
When that time comes, a person
will quit arguing with God or His
ministers doing His Work. He wi ll
quit trying to reason around obedi–
ence
to
God's commandments. He will
seek correction from God's servants.
A Time for Action
Perhaps the God of heaven has
brought you to understand His real–
ity, His immutable spiritual laws
and His great purpose for human
existence. Through hearing
The
World Tomorrow
broadcast and
reading
The
PLAIN TRUTH maga–
zine, you may have come to see that
God is now intervening in human
affairs in a definite and specific way
al! over this eartb.
Perhaps you are beginning to see
that God's way of life
is
good - thal
it teaches the way to live, how to
have a happy home, how to rear
we ll -balanced chi ldren, how to keep
in good physical health. how 10 have
real peace of mind, and how to
know and fulfill the purpose for
which you were born.
If this be 1he case, many hundreds
or thousands of you may wish to
write 10 us and request a visit from
one of God's own ordained minis–
ters. These men - nearly all Am–
bassador College graduales - are
sent to counsel and interview people
all over lhe world, people who are
inlerested in changing their lives
and perhaps in being baptized in
the name of Jesus Christ after real
repentance. These men will be able
to answer queslions you may have
about your spirituallife, aboul bap–
tism and aboul the Bible. They will
help you learn more regarding lhis
Work of God and of the possibi lity
of fellowship wi th others who are
living God's way.
So if you wan1 to make the deci–
sion 10 ac1 on lhe truths you have
been learning - perhaps to sin–
cerely bury your old self in baptism
and give your very li fe to Ood -
send us your name and address and
request to be counseled.
And while you are wriling. be
sure to ask for our vital booklel ,
Al/
Abow Water Baptism.
It
is sent ab–
solutely free and wilJ give you addi–
tional understanding of the real
meaning of repentance and water
baptism.
If you have reaUy underslood this
article as you read it. then it is high
time you acted on the vital truths
you have been receiving!
Roy, whom
1
described at the be–
ginning of this article, was never
able to overcome his res1lessness,
emptiness and sense of guilt -
never, 1ha1 is, unlil a feUow associ–
ate and
1
baptized him and stood
there under a wide Texas sky and
asked the great God to fill him with
His Spirit as He has promised todo
upon true repenlance and bap1ism.
Now Roy's craggy, outdoorsman's
face beams with quiet assurance
and a deep and abiding peace. For
he has been tru ly forgiven by his
God and Father - and he now
deeply underslands the goal of life
and the way 10 achieve it.
How about you?
o
PLAIN TRUTH April 1973